THE BASSOON PEDAGOGY AND PUBLICATIONS OF SIMON KOVAR
DISSERTATION
Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Musical
Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University
By
Amy L. Bassett, B.M., M.M.
* * * * *
The Ohio State University 2007
Document Committee: Approved by Professor Christopher Weait, Advisor
Professor R. J. David Frego, Advisor ______Adviser Professor Katherine Borst Jones ______Professor Robert Sorton Adviser Music Graduate Program
Copyright by
Amy Lynn Bassett
2007
ABSTRACT
Simon Kovar was one of the principal bassoon pedagogues in the United States between 1923 and 1957. Born in 1890 in Vilna, Russia, he attended the St.
Petersburg Conservatory to study violin with Leopold Auer. At Alexandre
Glazunov’s suggestion, due to the Bolshevik Revolution and the onset of World
War I, Kovar switched to bassoon. He emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he became a member of the New York Philharmonic from 1923 to 1949.
Kovar then devoted his time to teaching at a number of prominent colleges and universities. In 1948 he began editing music for the International Music
Company in order to make the music he taught more readily available and to avoid spending valuable lesson time changing the music. When Kovar retired from his teaching positions in 1957, he and his family moved to Encino,
California, where he lived until his death in 1970.
ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank the following people for their help with this project:
Bernard Garfield Harrington E. Crissey, Jr. Dr. David Frego Alan Goodman Katherine Borst Jones Benjamin Kamins Joshua Kovar Leo Kovar Margarita Mazo Richard Meek Ludmila Milchakova (St. Petersburg Conservatory) Karen Pierson Mark Popkin Frank Powers Marvin Roth John Shamlian Robert Sorton Richard Wandel (New York Philharmonic Associate Archivist) Christopher Weait (Professor Emeritus)
iii
VITA
September 26, 1980 ……………………………Born – Barre, Massachusetts
2002 …………………………………………… B.M., Ithaca College
2004 …………………………………………… M. M., University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2002 –2004 ……………………………………. Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada
2002 – 2004 …………………………………… Executive Director The Endangered Instrument Program Las Vegas, Nevada
2004 – 2006 …………………………………… Adjunct Professor of Bassoon Heidelberg College Tiffin, Ohio
2004 – 2007 …………………………………… Graduate Teaching Assistant The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio
FIELDS OF STUDY
Major Field: Music
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract...... ii
Acknowledgments...... iii
Vita...... iv
List of Figures …………………………………………………………………………..viii
Chapters:
1. Introduction...... 11
2. Method ...... 13
3. Simon Kovar’s Early Life and Emigration ...... 15
4. New York Philharmonic ...... 18
5. Path to Teaching ...... 24
6. Kovar’s Approach to Teaching...... 26
7. The Structure of Lessons ...... 27
8. Teaching Concepts and Their Relationship to Leopold Auer...... 29
9. 24 Daily Studies ...... 32
10. Reeds...... 46
11. Students’ Reflections About Their Lessons...... 47
v 12. Editions ...... 50
13. Summary...... 67
14. Questions Raised By This Study...... 69
Bibliography ...... 70
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A...... 73 Published Editions of Works According to Koenigsbeck
APPENDIX B ...... 78 Timeline of Kovar’s Editions
APPENDIX C ...... 80 Comparison Study of the Fred Bettoney Edition and the Simon Kovar Edition of the 25 Studies in Scales and Chords by Ludwig Milde
APPENDIX D...... 85 Reinhold Gliere’s Impromptu, Opus 35, No.9
APPENDIX E ...... 88 Correspondence between Harrington E. Crissey, Jr. and Ludmila Milchakova of the St. Petersburg Conservatory
APPENDIX F...... 92 Correspondence with Richard Wandel, New York Philharmonic Associate Archivist
APPENDIX G...... 94 Questions for the Study of Simon Kovar
vi APPENDIX H...... 96 Interviews
APPENDIX I ...... 114 A List of Premiered Works During Simon Kovar’s Last Seven Seasons in the New York Philharmonic
vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
9.1 ...... 33
9.2 ...... 33
9.3 ...... 33
9.4 ...... 34
9.5 ...... 35
9.6 ...... 35
9.7 ...... 36
9.8 ...... 36
9.9 ...... 37
9.10 ...... 37
9.11 ...... 38
9.12 ...... 38
9.13 ...... 39
9.14 ...... 39
9.15 ...... 40
9.16 ...... 40
9.17 ...... 41
viii 9.18 ...... 41
9.19 ...... 42
9.20 ...... 42
9.21 ...... 42
9.22 ...... 43
9.23 ...... 43
9.24 ...... 43
9.25 ...... 44
9.26 ...... 44
9.27 ...... 44
9.28 ...... 45
9.29 ...... 45
12.1 ...... 51
12.2 ...... 53
12.3 ...... 54
12.4 ...... 55
12.5 ...... 56
12.6 ...... 57
12.7 ...... 58
12.8 ...... 59
12.9 ...... 60
ix
12.10 ...... 61
12.11 ...... 62
12.12 ...... 63
12.13 ...... 64
12.14 ...... 65
12.15 ...... 66
x
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Simon Kovar was born in Vilna, Russia (presently Latvia), on May 22, 1890, and died in Encino, California on January 17, 1970. Although the details of his childhood are not clear, it is understood that his family faced a number of challenges. Both of his brothers were forced to enter the military. Kovar did not finish his studies at the St.
Petersburg Conservatory because of an attempt to defect. When he did this he was captured and sent to Riga, Latvia to play bassoon in the People’s Opera Orchestra.
From there Kovar was able to come to the United States, although it is not known how he left Latvia. In the United States he joined the New York Philharmonic and worked at a number of prominent schools. He found his passion for teaching bassoon. In
1948 he began editing for the International Music Publishing Company in order to make many etudes and solos more readily available. Kovar developed a national reputation as a bassoon pedagogue who was willing to teach students of all ages and abilities. Unlike other teachers of his time he felt as though he should teach all bassoonists, including very young students and New York’s doublers.
11 These doublers were musicians who played multiple instruments for Broadway shows.
Many teachers at the time did not feel as though Broadway musicians were as serious orchestral performers. From 1923 until 1957 he gained the reputation as one of the most prominent bassoon teachers in the United States.
As of today little research has been done, this document explores the life and
teaching of Simon Kovar. Mr. Kovar’s teaching is at the foundation of bassoon
pedagogy in the United States. A few of his students remain alive and active, thus the
interviews reveal important information which would otherwise be lost.
12
CHAPTER 2
METHOD
Prior to this study there had been limited research done about Simon Kovar. To find the material about his teaching style former students were contacted and interviews were set up by phone, email, or letters. The information about his life was found through talking to family members, students, and through published biographies.
Before contacting former students, the project was reviewed by the Institutional
Review Board at The Ohio State University, and based on the material being obtained, they determined that an exemption was appropriate.1
Once the exemption was approved, biographies and literature were reviewed in order to determine who Kovar’s students were and which ones were available for interviews. A letter was then sent out to nine of his students, requesting permission to contact them for an interview about Simon Kovar. Six of them responded, each of whom agreed to participate in an interview. The interview questions focused on Kovar’s teaching but many of the former students spoke of him as a friend and mentor that influenced their career (see Appendix G for a list of the interview questions).
Determining the history of his life presented many challenges, and much of the
1 A category 2 exemption was received which states that the research would be done using educational materials, interviews, and survey procedures. 13 information was obtained through an interview with his nephew, Leo Kovar. An interview request was obtained from him but the questions asked focused around Kovar’s life instead of his teaching. Kovar’s daughter, Leah Herzberg was contacted for an interview but there was no response received from her, therefore additional material could not be obtained regarding his life in Russia. The St. Petersburg Conservatory and
Kovar’s family verified the information received from his students and nephew regarding his studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (See Appendix E).
14
CHAPTER 3
SIMON KOVAR’S EARLY LIFE AND EMIGRATION
Simon Kovar was the youngest of three brothers and the first of his family to
enter a college or university. He chose to attend the St. Petersburg Conservatory to study with violinist Leopold Auer, but in 1914 the start of World War I quickly changed his life. Alexandre Glazunov, who at the time was a professor at the conservatory, spoke with Kovar and Auer’s other violin students to inform them that if they continued to study violin they could be drafted and sent to the infantry. Glazunov encouraged them to switch to a wind instrument so that they could play with the military bands. For this reason, at the age of 24, Kovar took Glazunov’s advice and began studying bassoon at the
St. Petersburg Conservatory. According to the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Kovar
studied bassoon with Ernest Kotte, who taught German bassoon at the conservatory until
1927.2 Kotte was a first level professor at the conservatory and in 1927 was awarded the name of the Honored Artist of the Soviet Union. Kovar would later tell students that
Glazunov threatened to charge the teacher with treason if he did not agree to teach Auer’s
2 Ludmila Milchakova, St. Petersburg Conservatory, email corresponce with Harrington E. Crissey, Jr., 15 December 2006. 15 students.3 The St. Petersburg Conservatory has no remaining records of Kovar’s
graduation or the instrument he studied. 4 This may indicate that he did not complete his
studies.
Kovar attempted to escape Russia because of the problems that his family had
already faced with the military. His oldest brother had been living in the United States
and went back to Russia to see his parents. When the brother did this, Russia refused to
recognize his American citizenship and forced him to enter the military. The middle
brother of the Kovar family, was also sent to the military but succeeded in escaping.
After he escaped he went to look for Simon Kovar. When his brother located Kovar, he
was playing bassoon in the People’s Opera Orchestra in Riga, Latvia. He helped his
brother avoid the military police by allowing him to carry around an empty bassoon case.
This allowed him to pretend he was in the orchestra and be with Simon.
In the People’s Opera Orchestra in Riga, Kovar met his wife Rose. During his
time in the orchestra Kovar continued to develop his technique on the instrument. He
also had his first student, the janitor of the opera house. Kovar would eventually lose his
job because when that student began to master the instrument he told the music director that since he was Latvian that he should be the one playing in the orchestra.5
The circumstances are not known, but it was probably that situation, which caused
Simon to leave Latvia, and emigrate to the United States. In 1922 Kovar and his wife,
Rose came to New York City where he worked with the New York Philharmonic from
3 Harrington Crissey, “Last Conversations with Sol Schoenbach,” International Double Reed Society 24 no.1 (2001): 31. 4 Ludmila Milchakova, St. Petersburg Conservatory, email correspondence with Harrington E. Crissey, Jr., 15 December 2006. 5 Leo Kovar, interview by author, 12 December 2006, phone interview. 16 1923 until 1949 and taught bassoon at a number of prominent schools (See Appendix F).
According to the interviews one can assume that the positions were part-time, and based around the orchestra’s schedule. During his time in New York, Simon and his wife had two daughters, Eleanor and Leah. Eleanor became a New York freelance bassoonist and
Leah married the late bassoonist Norman Herzberg, who was a student of her father.
When Kovar retired from the orchestra and his teaching positions in 1957, he and his family moved to Encino, California, where he remained for the rest of his life.
17
CHAPTER 4
NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
In 1921 the New York Philharmonic had merged with the National Symphony
Orchestra causing fifty musicians to lose their jobs, and the woodwind section to have two principal players throughout the first year. When the merger was finalized, new players found themselves holding significant positions in the orchestra.
The new members included: Guidi as concertmaster, Van Vliet as solo cellist,
Fishberg as first violinist, Fortier as solo contrabassist, and Kohon as principal bassoon.
The merger of the orchestras opened up an opportunity that Kovar could take advantage
of when he came from Latvia to New York.
While there should have been two second bassoonists available for the position in
the new orchestra, neither was able to play. It could not, however be determined why this
happened.6
The circumstances around Kovar coming to the United States are not known but
by 1922 he was living in New York City. One year after the New York
Philharmonic/National Symphony merger, Benjamin Kohon received the title of principal
bassoonist. It was shortly after this situation occurred in the orchestra, that the music
6 Alan Goodman, interview by author, 18 December 2006, phone interview. 18 director became in dire need of a second bassoonist. Kohon heard about Kovar from
New York freelance contractors. An audition was set up for Kovar in 1923, and even
though he was not able to demonstrate an advanced technical facility on the instrument,
he was able to show that he had an intuitive understanding of the music. Kohon
convinced music director Willem Mengelberg that he had no choice but to hire Kovar due
to the Philharmonic’s extreme situation.7 Kohon and Mengelberg agreed that Kohon would meet with Kovar on a weekly basis to review the repertoire and to help him obtain an acceptable instrument and reeds. In addition to playing under Mengelberg, he later worked under music directors: Artur Rodzinski, John Barbirolli, Bruno Walter, Leopold
Stokowski, and Arturo Toscanini.8 Kovar’s final year with the Philharmonic was 1949
(the premiers that Kovar performed during some his time with the orchestra can be viewed in Appendix I).
The merger that caused many musicians to lose their job and many others to find
new ones financially benefited the orchestra. It stopped the competition between the two
orchestras for audience members, thus allowing them to expand the concert season.
During the year that Kovar joined the orchestra the principal conductor was
Willem Mengelberg, who shared the position with many other conductors. The sharing of the podium allowed the orchestra to stay fresh by playing a variety of music. During the 1922/23 season the orchestra began to play new American compositions, the project was titled the “Greater Americanization of the Philharmonic”. The project was lead by
7 Alan Goodman, interview by author, 18 December 2006, phone interview. 8 Richard Wandel New York Philharmonic archivist, interview by author, 18 October 2006, interview through email. 19 Henry Hadley, who was appointed Associate Conductor. His job was to review
compositions submitted by American composers and then work with the orchestra to
perform them throughout the season.
During Hadley’s time, the orchestra also began to show interest in educational
concerts. The educational project began during the 1922/23 season and resulted in the
orchestra performing a series of five concerts in the Great Hall of City College, five
concerts in Carnegie Hall, five at Cooper Union, four at the Commercial High School in
Brooklyn and a series of single concerts at the colleges of Princeton, Yale, Vassar, Smith,
Mount Holyoke, and The University of Connecticut. At these concerts the orchestra
director would present a lecture about the music in order to educate the audience. In
1924 Ernest Schelling successfully expanded these educational concerts into the New
York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts, which had great success. The orchestra
expanded this education project again in 1926 when they agreed to participate with Ginn
& Company, the Boston publisher, in order to combine recordings with a Music
Appreciation Course that could be used by elementary and junior high schools.9
In 1929, Mengelberg began to share the podium with Arturo Toscanini and the
two began to compete for control over the orchestra. In 1930 Toscanini became the
orchestra’s principal conductor when the board members turned over the first European
tour to him. Toscanini, because of his reputation, brought an increase of financial security to the orchestra. With Toscanini, however, the orchestra played less new music
and more of the standard pieces that he knew very well.
9 Howard Shanet, Philharmonic: A History of New York’s Orchestra (New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1975) 275. 20 In 1935 Toscanini left the New York Philharmonic. Wilhelm Furtwängler was
supposed to receive the job in 1936 but the politics within the orchestra interfered. After
he accepted the position the press announced that he was also going to be the music director of the Berlin State Opera. While this information was inaccurate the public was
still concerned about Furtwängler’s commitments, so the board decided to appoint John
Barbirolli, a less well-known conductor to the position.10
From 1937 until 1941 John Barbirolli held the position as the conductor of the
New York Philharmonic. During this time the orchestra again began to work to
encourage young American composers to write for the orchestra. A competition was
established for the composition of new works. The winners of the first year were
Gardner Read, Quincy Porter, and Philip James.
Even though the orchestra began to encourage new music and young American
composers the board members cut the budget of the orchestra. They had concern that
without Toscanini’s popularity the size of the audience would decrease. For this reason
during Barbirolli’s first season the budget was decreased by $191,000. After Barbirolli
successfully held the post for a number of years and proved himself both to the public
and the board the budget was restored to the amount it was with Toscanini. Both
conductors were significant to the orchestra’s financial situation. During this time the
10 Howard Shanet, Philharmonic: A History of New York’s Orchestra (New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1975) 283 - 84. 21 country was in a financial depression that limited the amount of money board members
and audiences had for entertainment. The orchestra needed individuals that would attract audiences and support.11
Around 1940 Barbirolli began to be eased out of the position as music director
and Artur Rodzinski took over in the 1941/42 season. During this time the orchestra was
not expanding or sure of how they should proceed. There were a total of eight different
conductors during this season. In 1942 the orchestra board attempted to negotiate with
Sergei Koussevitzky to bring him in as the next orchestra director, but failed to come to
any agreement. Therefore, Rodzinski stayed on as music director. In 1943 he fired 14
players including the concertmaster. Rodzinski believed that the orchestra lacked
leadership after Barbirolli left.
Rodzinski, who served from 1943 to 1947, brought new ideas to the orchestra.
He introduced a new summer concert series that would broadcast on radio stations from
coast to coast. The standard orchestral pieces of the time were featured on these concerts because that is what the public wanted to hear. In 1947 this series reached a climax when
Rodzinski was able to take the orchestra on a tour of 17 states. On May 1, 1947, in an
effort to gain audiences and financial security, the orchestra recorded music for the film,
57th Street Rhapsody12.
11 Howard Shanet, Philharmonic: A History of New York’s Orchestra (New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1975) 287 - 88. 12 Howard Shanet, Philharmonic: A History of New York’s Orchestra, (New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1975), 304. 22 The final results of Rodzinski’s term were increased orchestral discipline, strengthened repertory, the encouragement of young American conductors, and more financial security. Therefore it was of great surprise when Rodzinski suddenly resigned from the orchestra during the 1946/47 season13.
The orchestra board worked quickly to find an appropriate replacement. In 1949 they placed Bruno Walter in the position of music director for the New York
Philharmonic.
13 Howard Shanet, Philharmonic: A History of New York’s Orchestra, (New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1975), 304.
23
CHAPTER 5
PATH TO TEACHING
Simon Kovar began teaching through his work in the New York Philharmonic and
his relationship with Benjamin Kohon. Kohon wanted to teach students that came to
bassoon after playing the piano, and would only accept one student at a time. For that
reason when Kohon received requests from students he passed them along to Kovar.
Kovar’s first student in the United States was Sol Schoenbach who worked with him when he was in high school. Schoenbach later received a scholarship to the Juilliard
School but would not accept it until they hired Kovar.
Over the years, in addition to the Juilliard School, Kovar also taught at: The
Curtis Institute, Philadelphia (1939 – 1942), Manhattan School of Music (1936 – 1952),
Academy of the West, Santa Barbara, California (1957 and possibly later), Teachers
College of Columbia University, New York, The Conservatoire de Music de Montreal,
and the Henry Street Settlement School, New York.14 He served on the faculties of these
institutions during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, teaching a number of prominent
bassoonists in the United States. Kovar taught students of all ages and a number of
prominent New York “doublers” in his Manhattan apartment.
14 International Double Reed Society, Simon Kovar Biography, International Double Reed Society web site, www.idrs.org, 25 October 2006. 24 In 1948 he began a relationship with International Music Publishing Company as
an editor. It could not be determined if Kovar submitted material to International or was
invited to edit, but his editions helped to make much of the bassoon repertoire more
readily available in the United States. He worked with the company to publish a
significant amount of music that was previously only available in Europe. European editions were both expensive and difficult to obtain. Appendix A is a list of the
publication history of the works he edited and Appendix B is a timeline of these editions.
25
CHAPTER 6
KOVAR’S APPROACH TO TEACHING
Kovar taught students from all over the northeast, generally on a weekly basis, or
when the student was available. He based his teaching on the student’s immediate needs.
He would periodically seek out his students to check on their progress during the middle
of the week. For example, at Music Academy of the West he would find a student taking
a break and stop him, saying, with his characteristic Russian accent, “Keed, go get your
bassoon and let’s see how you’re doing.”15 The students of Simon Kovar included many prominent musicians, including: Mark Popkin, Alan Goodman, Bernard Garfield, Ray
Pizzi, Stephen Maxym, Sol Schoenbach, Richard Plaster, Norman Herzberg, and Marvin
Roth. They all reported that Kovar was a very important person in their lives and each
had very fond memories to share. Kovar wanted his students to be the best players
possible, so if necessary he spent extra time with them. He also assisted them in
receiving scholarships for lessons.
15 Alan Goodman, interview by author, 18 December 2006, phone interview.
26
CHAPTER 7
THE STRUCTURE OF LESSONS
The length of lessons varied from one half hour to two hours. Some students did
not have weekly lessons. His student Richard Plaster said that only those whose lessons
were through a college curriculum would take regular weekly lessons. For example, he
said, “When I [Richard Plaster] would show up he would say something like ‘your fall
lesson?’ and afterwards ‘call when you’re ready.’ At the time during World War II, I was
in the maritime service, training at Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn.”16
Kovar understood that students’ preparation for their lessons might be uneven.
Many were seeking non-music degrees, were doublers playing in New York City shows,
or in the military. He knew that these students had additional responsibilities that would
not always allow them to have a significant amount of practice time.
Kovar believed that it was important for students to hear each other, so he organized both private lessons and master classes. In the master class he would put the
chairs in a circle and have one student sit in the middle to play. When he taught private
lessons he would create a similar situation by scheduling the lessons so that each student
16 Richard Plaster, interview by author, 4 November 2006, interview through email. 27 could hear the others. Having students listen to one another was productive because each person was learning the standard material and even if they did not know it at the time, they were learning how to teach.
The focus of each lesson was always based on an individual student’s needs. If a student was struggling with the execution of a specific interval, then the focus would be placed on a measure from the Kovar’s 24 Daily Studies. He would spend as much time needed to help the student, not worrying about the rest of the assignment. He would change fingerings as needed and address the technical aspects of playing, but the focus always came back to the fundamentals of playing the instrument: intonation, tone quality, and musical line. Alan Goodman stated “no matter what level a player was,
Kovar always brought him back to the basics, the fundamental aspects of playing that haunt a person when he wins an orchestral position.”17
17Alan Goodman, interview by author, 18 December 2006, phone interview. 28
CHAPTER 8
TEACHING CONCEPTS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO LEOPOLD AUER
Kovar did not teach bassoon extensively until coming to the United States. While
Kovar studied bassoon in Russia with Kotte, he had also studied the violin with Leopold
Auer. It seems that many of the concepts that Kovar emphasized in his teaching were the same ones that were important to Auer. A number of similarities can be identified between Auer’s book Violin Playing As I Teach It and the lessons Kovar taught. These include his concept of long tones, the early study of difficult repertoire, and the importantce of tone quality.
Kovar taught all levels of bassoonists and believed that anyone could play the instrument. He did not agree with a number of music educators about how music was being taught in the United States. It was the practice of American music educators to allow physical characteristics to prevent students from playing a particular instrument.
Kovar did not agree. He felt strongly that teachers needed to refrain from informing potential students that due to physical characteristics they should not play the bassoon. In addition, he felt strongly that educators should be teaching students how to phrase the musical line and not to confuse this concept with the technique of vibrato. Kovar felt there was no such thing as an “incorrect” embouchure because he thought there was more 29 than one way to form the lips around the reed. He did not care how students formed their
lips as long as they could keep them around the reed and produce a good sound.18
Kovar wanted his students to focus on the sound and musical phrasings, not
vibrato. He did not play in lessons but instead he demonstrated the correct phrasing by
singing the line with the appropriate musical expression.19 In his article, “Simplifying
the
Bassoon,” Kovar writes that students begin to think about using vibrato when they hear
someone else play with it. Then they try to automatically incorporate it into their playing, forgetting how to make a beautiful sound.20 When Marvin Roth was curious
about vibrato and asked Kovar, the response he received was “Never mind the vibrato! I
want to hear a good clean attack, and a big, full, dark sound.”21 He firmly believed that
many times students became too focused on the vibrato, and forgot how to play the
instrument correctly. The beliefs that Kovar had regarding vibrato and sound production
could have come from his studies with Leopold Auer. In Auer’s book Violin Playing As I
Teach It he stated, “the vibrato is primarily a means used to heighten effect, to embellish
and beautify a singing passage or tone.”22
Another significant aspect of his teaching was his expectation that young students
would study orchestral excerpts. Kovar believed that the earlier a student worked on the
orchestral repertoire the better off he would be later on in his career. After the first two
18 Simon Kovar, “Simplifying the Bassoon”, in The Woodwind Anthology, ed. Rudo S. Globus, (New York: Woodwind Magazine, 1952), 16. 19 Marvin Roth, interview by author, 26 October 2006, phone interview. 20 Simon Kovar, “Simplifying the Bassoon”, in The Woodwind Anthology, ed. Rudo S. Globus, (New York: Woodwind Magazine, 1952), 16. 21 Marvin Roth, interview by author, 26 October 2006, phone interview. 22 Leopold Auer, Violin Playing As I Teach It (New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company Publishers, 1921), 59. 30 months of student instruction on the bassoon Kovar would start having the student work
on orchestral passages because he knew that a bassoonist would not be a soloist and
would be expected to play orchestral music with a conductor very early on in his career.23
Also like Auer, Kovar would require his students to learn the score of an orchestral piece
in order to have a complete understanding of an individual’s role in the orchestra.24
Auer believed that a young student was capable of playing a difficult piece if it was slow enough.25 Kovar shared this belief and required that his students play etudes at
a very slow speed in order to master the fundamentals of playing. Many of his students
now realize how slowly they were required to play the standard etudes.26 In addition to the orchestral repertoire and etudes, his students also studied much of the standard solo repertoire. Mark Popkin stated that he received a solid background on works such as the
Weber concerto, both Mozart concertos, the Saint-Saëns sonata, and many others that remain important in today’s bassoon repertoire.
23 Simon Kovar, “Simplifying the Bassoon”, in The Woodwind Anthology, ed. Rudo S. Globus, (New York: Woodwind Magazine, 1952), 16. 24John Shamlian, interview by author, 20 November 2006, interview through letters. 25 Leopold Auer, Violin Playing As I Teach It (New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company Publishers, 1921), 208. 26 Alan Goodman, interview by author, 18 December 2006, phone interview. 31
CHAPTER 9
24 DAILY STUDIES
In 1951, Kovar self-published a book of exercises titled 24 Daily Studies to aid in his teaching. Before it wwas published he required his students to memorize the exercises. His students convinced him to publish them.
According to former students, Kovar wanted all wind players to use this book. He transcribed it for clarinet but did not finish the transcription for flute. He believed that if every wind player practiced from this daily method they would be more effective musicians and develop the technique needed for the professional world. Kovar printed the following statement in every self-published book.
It has been my aim in publishing this series of exercises to make available a method which I have found effective in dealing with the problems of the bassoon, both as a performer and as a teacher. I have found that the same difficulties beset nearly all students, and over a period of years these exercises have evolved as a means of dealing with them. I have used this method of practice as a basic means of developing the essentials of proper playing – intonation, flexibility, tone, smooth legato, etc. It has been my experience that these exercises prepare the student to meet the difficulties of the bassoon literature and of the orchestral repertoire in the shortest possible time. At the suggestion of my students, who had difficulty memorizing it, I have undertaken to publish this method in permanent form.27
Similarities can be found between the long tone exercises from Kovar’s daily studies with the exercises that Leopold Auer discussed in his book. Auer discussed the
27 Simon Kovar, 24 Daily Studies, (New York: Simon Kovar, 1951), preface. 32 importance of proper intonation and tone and how they can be mastered by playing
specific long tone exercises. Auer’s long tone exercises are similar to the ones found in
24 Daily Studies for Bassoon. Figures 9.1 through 9.3 example of the long tones Auer
had his students play and two excerpts from Kovar’s studies. Both Kovar and Auer
would require their students to play each exercise in different octaves.
Figure 9.1
Figure 9.2
Figure 9.3
Figures 9.4 through 9.27 are from Kovar’s 24 Daily Studies. The examples demonstrate how thorough he was in prescribing exercises to solve problems that students may have had when playing the bassoon. As stated before, Kovar truly believed that all wind players needed to use these exercises, in order to even out their technique and to address the specific problems of their instruments.
The student was required to transpose each exercise into each register of the bassoon. For this reason these studies could be used with students of all ages and 33 abilities, and Kovar could pick and choose the exercise that he wanted his student to
prepare in any given week. Some of the studies, such as octave leaps and individual scale
patterns, could be avoided until the bassoonist was ready for more advanced material.
The handwriting seen in the excerpt is probably that of Simon Kovar because after
publishing the book, annotations were added into each copy as reminders to students.
Also note that Kovar separated concepts, such as major scales, minor scales, long tones,
legato octaves, and staccato playing. The separation allowed for the student to
concentrate on one technique at a time and not feel overwhelmed when playing.
Figure 9.4
34
Figure 9.5
Figure 9.6
35
Figure 9.7
Figure 9.8
36
Figure 9.9
Figure 9.10
37
Figure 9.11
Figure 9.12
38
Figure 9.13
Figure 9.14
39
Figure 9.15
Figure 9.16
40
Figure 9.17
Figure 9.18
41
Figure 9.19
Figure 9.20
Figure 9.21
42
Figure 9.22
Figure 9.23
Figure 9.24
43
Figure 9.25
Figure 9.26
Figure 9.27
Alan Goodman, when he was just 14 years old studied with Kovar. He said that each lesson began with these long tones and other exercises from the 24 Daily Studies. 44 Kovar would assign two measures a week, initialing each measure with a “K” and it was
expected that Goodman would practice them daily, initialing each time he worked on
them. These studies were sometimes practiced in a different order than how they appear.
Goodman was required to play one note at a time very slowly in order to master
every attack and release, being sure that each one was played with a good sound and in
tune. Goodman took each sixteenth note and played it as though it were a sixteenth note
with a sixteenth rest following it. During a musical rest, Kovar would tap Goodman’s hands and arms to emphasize the importance of relaxation. If Goodman was not relaxed,
he would be instructed to repeat the exercise at a slower tempo.28 Goodman was a young
student, but it is possible his older students, such as Richard Plaster and Bernard Garfield,
were required to work on these exercises in a similar manner. Figures 9.28 and 9.29 are
examples of how one measure would be written in the exercise next to how it would have been played by Goodman.
Figures 9.28 and 9.29
28Alan Goodman, interview by author, 18 December 2006, phone interview. 45
CHAPTER 10
REEDS
Kovar did not discuss reeds or how to make reeds with his students, even though
his older students were always expected to have an acceptable reed to play. Kovar did not make reeds for himself either, but instead would receive a box from Germany that he could pick through to find the ones he liked, selling the rest to his younger students.
Kovar’s older students however, would be sent to a reed maker in New York City and be expected to watch him in order to learn the process of reed making. Occasionally, when
a student would make something that was better than what Kovar had, he would take it to
play in the orchestra. “The older students would half–seriously warn the new ones to
keep an eye on their reeds. A student like me [Richard Plaster] with tight finances would
be offered a deal for making reeds for him to sell to other students.”29 Kovar believed
that teachers should avoid discussing reeds with their students because each bassoonist
requires a reed that is tailored to his/her individual needs.30
29 Richard Plaster, interview by author, 4 November 2006, interview through email. 30 Simon Kovar, “Simplifying the Bassoon”, in The Woodwind Anthology, ed. Rudo S. Globus, (New York: Woodwind Magazine, 1952), 17. 46
CHAPTER 11
STUDENTS’ REFLECTION ABOUT THEIR LESSONS
Each one of Kovar’s students took something different away from the years of studying bassoon with him. Many still feel as though they owe their careers to him. He worked hard to help them receive scholarships for their lessons and also helped some of them get their first professional job. (See Appendix I for the complete interviews).
The concepts that were important to Kovar’s students remain at the foundation of how they were taught. Marvin Roth stated that he remembered that Kovar wanted a
“dark German sound,” and expected him to keep the sound moving throughout a passage.31
Alan Goodman discussed the amount of importance Kovar placed on playing slowly and being relaxed, and does not remember Kovar ever letting him play fast.
Kovar gave Goodman a solid background in the fundamentals of playing the instrument.32
31 Marvin Roth, interview by author, 26 October 2006, phone interview. 32 Alan Goodman, interview by author, 18 December 2006, phone interview. 47 Richard Plaster uses Kovar’s 24 Daily Exercises in his own teaching, but he also
remembers that “he [Kovar] wasn’t teaching teachers to teach, he was teaching bassoonists to play, and behave. He taught by example in the workplace. He would get a free-lance job in NYC, take a student, and have the student play first.”33
Bernard Garfield continues to teach the aspects of playing that Kovar emphasized.
In an interview he stated, “I still teach most of those musical elements that he stressed as
basic to my own teaching style. He stressed an attractive sound, an even flow from note
to note, accurate rhythms, expression to suit the phrase . . . Kovar understood clearly
what were the demands on a bassoonist in an orchestra.”34 The most valuable information
Garfield obtained from him was how to solve technical problems with his 24 Daily
Studies and how to play expressively.35
Kovar taught John Shamlian to be honest with himself and admit if he could not
play something, and the importance of reading the score to determine what the role of the
bassoon is in a passage.36 Mark Popkin remembered the emphasis that Kovar placed on
learning orchestral excerpts correctly. He was impressed with Kovar’s coaching of
Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade because he had known Korsakov from the St.
Petersburg Conservatory.37 The interview responses about lessons show a similarity to
33 Richard Plaster, interview by author, 4 November 2006, interview through email. 34 Bernard Garfield, interview by author, 13 November 2006, interview through email. 35 Bernard Garfield, interview by author, 13 November 2006, interview through email. 36 John Shamlian, interview by author, 20 November 2006, interview through letters. 37 Mark Popkin, interview by author, 9 December 2006, phone interview. 48 the way students are now being taught in the United States. This occurred because, even
though Kovar’s students were planning to be professional bassoonists, they also learned how to teach the instrument. Each student gained this knowledge from watching Kovar address different problems that occurred.
Kovar had many ways of teaching different students and had multiple solutions to
a single problem. He worked to teach his students how to play at their best and taught
them to be performers and effective orchestral musicians. As a result many of Kovar’s
students were in the top orchestras of the country, including: the orchestras of Los
Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and of the NBC, CBS, and ABC broadcasting
companies.
49
CHAPTER 12
EDITIONS
Kovar edited fifteen works for International Music Publishing Company.
International opened in 1941 and Kovar edited his first piece for them in 1948. Prior to
that, his students were purchasing their music from a variety of foreign and domestic
publishers. According to Richard Plaster some of the music that Kovar required was
difficult to obtain during the war, so students were pleased when they were able to find
any edition that Kovar could work with. Kovar was the first person to edit a large
quantity of today’s standard bassoon repertoire in the United States, and, due to his
reputation as a teacher, his editions continue to be the most readily available in the United
States.
Kovar began editing music in order to avoid wasting valuable lesson time
changing the score. He kept his musical markings simple, focusing on phrasing and
dynamics, and the changes would only be placed where the musical pattern changed.
Figure 12.1 is an excerpt from Weissenborn 50 Advanced Studies. This is an example of how he would change it, because the written phrase markings are in Kovar’s hand.38
38 This example was given to the author by Bernard Garfield, who studied the exercise with Simon Kovar. 50
Figure 12.1
The changes made in the 25 Studies in Scales and Chords are minimal with a small number of changes made to dynamics. The main reason Kovar edited these works was to make them available in the United States. Please note, Appendix C is a comparison of one edition of the 25 Studies in Scales and Chords that was found in the
Weissenborn Method for Bassoon edited by Fred Bettoney and the International Edition, edited by Simon Kovar.
It is important to realize that Kovar’s editing of etudes was quite different from solo works for bassoon and piano. In a comparison analysis of Reinhold Gliere’s
Impromptu it can be seen that Kovar was very detailed in his work. He not only added dynamic markings to the score but also very specific tempo changes. Unfortunately these additions are only placed in the bassoon part, the piano score is the same as the original
Russian edition. In the experience of the author, this causes rehearsal time to be wasted,
51 because the pianist and the bassoonist are not viewing the same tempo changes or
dynamics. Appendix D is a comparison of the original score with Kovar’s edition for
International Music Company.
Simon Kovar’s 24 Daily Studies were self-published in 1951. In addition, Kovar
edited etudes and solo literature including: Milde Concert Studies, Volume I and Volume
II, Gambaro 18 Daily Exercises, Ferdinand David Concertino, Gliere Humoresque and
Impromptu, Jancourt 26 Melodic Studies, op.15, Kopprasch 60 Studies Volumes I and II,
Milde 25 Studies in Scales and Chords, Satzenhofer 24 Studies, Satzenhofer 24 Duets,
Telemann Sonata in F Minor, Weber Andante e Rondo Ongarese, op. 35, Weber
Concerto in F, Weissenborn, Studien für Anfänger, Studien für Fortgeschrittene, 6
Vortragsstücke, and Romance in Eb Major.39 With the exception of the 24 Daily
Studies, which are currently out of print, each one of these works are still available today.
Below is an annotated bibliography of examples from a cross section of the works that Kovar edited for bassoon (Figures 12.2 through 12.15). Listed is a variety of studies
that incorporate both early and advanced works.
39 Bodo Koenigsbeck, Bassoon Bibliography (Monteux, France: Musica Rara, 1994).
52
David, Ferdinand. Concertino in Bb Major, Op. 12. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1956.
This piece is played by many high school students for state competitions. The patterns are scalar and slurred and do not require the student to have a rapid single tongue or be able to double tongue. The work requires some lyrical playing, allowing the student to develop their sound on the instrument as well as technique.
Figure 12.2
Gambaro, Giovania-Baptiste. 18 Studies for Bassoon. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1951.
These studies for bassoon require great attention to articulation and musical patterns. Kovar had most of his students learn these in order to assess fingering problems and articulation difficulties. These etudes are quite long and present great challenges for
53 breathing. This results in students becoming more comfortable with the use of ritardandos and accelerandos in order to make the music easier to play.
Figure 12.3
Gliere, Reinhold. Humoresque, Op. 35, No. 8. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1948.
This solo work is short and ideal for a young bassoon student. The work presents many different types of articulations such as accents, staccatos, and slurs. This movement between different articulations teaches the student to change the air stream and tongue stroke very quickly. The work has a lyrical section but does not use the high register of the bassoon, so the student can continue to work on developing a nice sound in a comfortable range. The collaboration with the pianist would also be fairly easy for the
54 student because the piano part is fairly sparse. This allows the pianist to help the student with rhythm and intonation.
Figure 12.4
Gliere, Reinhold. Impromptu, Op. 35, No. 9. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1948.
This work is a lyrical work, where the student will need to focus on pitch and tone quality. The work is ideal for a young student because it uses the low register and sparsely uses the high register. The 6/8 and 9/8 time signatures encourages rhythmic accuracy and subdivision.
55
Figure 12.5
Jancourt, Eugene. 26 Melodic Studies, Op. 15. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1956.
These are one to two page etudes, where each study presents a technique for the student to master, such as legato, staccato, and ornamentation. Each etude is mostly scalar, teaching the student to read the pattern presented to them, rather than individual notes. The dynamics are fairly sparse, only used when the musical pattern is changed.
56
Figure 12.6
Milde, Ludwig. Concert Studies, Op. 26, volume I. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1948.
Milde, Ludwig. Concert Studies, Op. 26, volume II. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1948.
This two volume etude series is based on scales and arpeggios and is highly melodic. The work begins with C Major with a time signature that is 4/4 but quickly progresses into the more advanced keys and rhythms. These etudes allow students to develop their musicianship by following the dynamics that are presented in the score.
The dynamics follow the musical rules of crescendo when playing ascending scales or patterns and decrescendo when playing descending scales or patterns. These etudes also teach a student to read musical patterns over octaves and clef changes. The teacher can also help the student to re-beam musical lines in order to shape them properly.
57
Figure 12.7
Milde, Ludwig. 25 Studies in Scales and Chords, Op. 24. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1950.
These etudes are each based on the scales and arpeggios of the major and related minor keys. The design of the studies, allow the student to play the scale etude and then the arpeggio etude in the same key. The etudes progress through many of the major scales and the last study is based on the chromatic scale.
58
Figure 12.8
Satzenhofer, J. 24 Studies. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1950.
These etudes are short studies based on scales and arpeggios. Each of the etudes presents an articulation pattern that is maintained throughout the piece. As the studies progress, however, each becomes significantly more difficult as they start to use wide leaps that are both articulated and slurred and present different ornamentations (such as mordents, trills, and turns) to the student.
59
Figure 12.9
Satzenhofer, J. 24 Duets. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1950.
This is the only duet that Kovar edited and it is similar to the Küffner 24 instructive Duette in progressiver Folge für 2 Fagotte. Each duet is very short and designed for a young student to learn musical independence, as the two parts do not always move in rhythmic unison. The keys used are either C major or one of the flat keys, never progressing past three flats. The range for bassoon one is D2 to B-flat4 and for bassoon two is B-flat2 to E-flat4, with the low register of the bassoon as the focus in order for the students to develop intonation and tone quality.
60
Figure 12.10
von Weber, Carl Maria. Andante e Rondo Ongarese, Op. 35. Transcribed by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1956.
This work is the most difficult that Kovar edited. The piece is very operatic and requires the student to have had already developed their sense of phrasing and technical ability. The piece presents trills, mordents, and turns requiring that the student have an understanding of the purpose and use of ornamentations. The piece presents a lyrical section in the beginning and then switches to a staccato, more playful section in the middle. The end of the rondo requires that players have a very fast single tongue because 61
there is a demanding triplet sequence and scales and arpeggios with wide leaps. Kovar
does insert some slurs for ease and suggests eliminating some notes in order to
accommodate breaths. Shown in Figure 12.12.
Figure 12.11
62
Figure 12.12
Weissenborn, Julius. Romance, Op. 3. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1957.
This work is an excellent early bassoon piece that has a rhythmic accompaniment to help the beginning student. The piece contains tenor clef and uses the entire range of the bassoon from E-flat2 to C5, with an optional E-flat5 at the end.
63
Figure 12.13
64 Weissenborn, Julius. Studies for Bassoon Volume I. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1952.
Weissenborn, Julius. Studies for Bassoon Volume II. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1952.
The exercises found in Volume I give brief explanations of how the study is to be
played. They are divided into categories such as “I. The most essential kinds of
expression” and then subcategories. Other lessons include tenor clef, major scales,
chords, chromatic scales, progressions of various intervals, and ornamentation.
Figure 12.14
65
Volume II is identical to the 50 Advanced Studies found in the other Weissenborn
methods, except that musical phrase marks and dynamics have been added to each one by
Kovar.
Figure 12.15
66
CHAPTER 13
SUMMARY
Simon Kovar, born on May 22, 1890, in Vilna, Russia, began as a violin student of Leopold Auer at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and later became one of the most famous bassoon pedagogues in the United States. While his switch to bassoon was almost forced upon him by the political situation in Russia, he embraced it, learning the instrument well enough in just nine years to win a position in the New York
Philharmonic.
Kovar’s years in the Philharmonic allowed him the opportunity to begin teaching and working to change the path of bassoon pedagogy in the United States. He worked hard with his students to help them develop into the best possible players they were capable of becoming. He held positions in many of the top music schools in the US and
Canada and taught many well-known players.
Kovar’s retirement from the Philharmonic in 1949 allowed him to expand his teaching career, working closely with International Publishing Company to edit material, making it more readily available to students in the United States. His editions included many of the standard pieces that remain in today’s repertoire.
67 Kovar’s approach to teaching and editing focused around the student’s needs. He
would spend extra time with students as needed and worked with them to develop into
excellent bassoonists. Kovar also believed in teaching all levels of students, this included
those pursuing non-musical degrees, “doublers”, professional players, and very young
students.
His ideas on vibrato, phrasing, and appropriate literature were similar to those
advocated by his violin teacher at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Leopold Auer.
Kovar wanted his students to ignore what some were saying about the “correct” bassoon embouchure and reeds because each student’s needs were different. He felt that many teachers just complicated this matter and discouraged many students when discussing it with them.
Kovar published his 24 Daily Studies in 1951. Kovar felt that if all wind players
worked from them they would become better players.
Simon Kovar’s students respected him as a teacher and a person, and today, still
think highly of him. Many feel that they owe their careers to him, because while he
expected them to work hard, he also believed in them and helped them to achieve the
confidence needed for a musical career.
68
CHAPTER 14
QUESTIONS RAISED BY THIS STUDY
Further study could be completed on Simon Kovar by researching his background
in Russia, his violin studies with Leopold Auer, and through deeper assessment of his
editions from International Music Publishing Company. The questions that remain
unanswered about his life in Russia are: Who did he study with prior to attending the St.
Petersburg Conservatory and how was he able to leave Russia? In addition to these
questions regarding his life, one could also determine a list of recordings he did with the
New York Philharmonic and create a complete list of his students.
69
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Auer, Leopold. Violin Playing As I Teach It. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1921.
Bulling, Burchard. Fagott Bibliographie. Germany: Florian Noetzel, 1989.
Crissey, Harrington E. Jr. “Sol Schoenbach – The Last Conversations?.” The International Double Reed Society 24 no. 1 (2001): 31-32.
David, Ferdinand. Concertino in Bb Major, Op. 12. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1956.
Gambaro, Giovania-Baptiste. 18 Studies for Bassoon. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1951.
Garfield, Bernard. Interview by author, 13 November 2006. Interview through email.
Gartner, Jochen. The Vibrato. Translated by Einar W. Anderson. Germany: Gustav Bosse Verlag Regensburg, 1981.
Gliere, Reinhold. Humoresque, Op. 35, No. 8. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1948.
Gliere, Reinhold. Impromptu, Op. 35, No. 9. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1948.
Gliere, Reinhold. Impromptu, Op. 35, No. 9. Moscow: P. Jurgenson.
Goodman, Alan. Interview by author, 18 December 2006. Phone Interview.
International Double Reed Society. Simon Kovar Biography. International Double Reed Society web site, www.idrs.org. 25 October 2006.
Jancourt, Eugene. 26 Melodic Studies, Op. 15. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1956.
70 King, William G. The Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York. New York: The Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, 1939-1940.
Koenigsbeck, Bodo. Bassoon Bibliography. Monteux, France: Musica Rara, 1994.
Kopprasch, C. 60 Studies, vol. I. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1956.
Kopprasch, C. 60 Studies, vol. II. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1956.
Kovar, Leo. Interview by author, 12 December 2006. Phone Interview.
Kovar, Simon. 24 Daily Exercises for Bassoon. New York: Simon Kovar, 1951.
Kovar, Simon. “Simplifying the Bassoon.” In The Woodwind Anthology. Edited by Rudo S. Globus, 16-17. New York: The Woodwind Magazine, 1952.
Küffner, Joseph. 24 instructive Duette in progressiver Folge für 2Fagotte. Edited by Gunther Joppig. Wein: Universal Edition, 1987.
Lipori, Daniel G. A Researcher’s Guide to the Bassoon. Lewiston: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2002.
Milchakova, Ludmila, St. Petersburg Conservatory. E-mail correspondence with Harrington E. Crissey, Jr., 15 December 2006.
Milde, Ludwig. Concert Studies, Op. 26, vol. I. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1948.
Milde, Ludwig. Concert Studies, Op. 26, vol. II. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1948.
Milde, Ludwig. 25 Studies in Scales and Chords, Op. 24. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1950.
Moyse, Marcel. “How I stayed in shape”. Vermont: Marcel Moyse.
Philharmonic-Symphony Faces. New York: The Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, [1937-1938].
Plaster, Richard. Interview by author, 4 November 2006. Interview through email.
Popkin, Mark. Interview by author, 9 December 2006. Phone Interview.
71 Roth, Marvin. Interview by author, 26 October 2006. Phone Interview.
Satzenhofer, J. 24 Studies. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1950.
Satzenhofer, J. 24 Duets. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1950.
Shamlian, John. Interview by author, 20 November 2006. Interview through letters.
Shanet, Howard. Philharmonic: A History of New York’s Orchestra. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1975. von Weber, Carl Maria. Concertino in Eb Major, Op. 26. Transcribed by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1949. von Weber, Carl Maria. Andante e Rondo Ongarese, Op. 35. Transcribed by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1956.
Wandel, Richard, New York Philharmonic Associate Archivist. Interview by author, 18 October 2006. Interview through email.
Weissenborn, Julius. Romance, Op. 3. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1957.
Weissenborn, Julius. Studies for Bassoon Vol. I. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1952.
Weissenborn, Julius. Studies for Bassoon Vol. II. Edited by Simon Kovar. New York: International Music Company, 1952.
Weissenborn, Julius. Method for Bassoon. Edited by Fred Bettoney. Boston: Cundy – Bettoney Co., 1930
72
APPENDIX A
PUBLISHED EDITION OF WORKS ACCORDING TO KOENIGSBECK40
40 Bodo Koenigsbeck, Bassoon Bibliography, Monteux, France: Musica Rara, 1994.
73
Bold print represents works that were available in 1993.
Ferdinand David Concertino in Bb Major, Op. 12 (1838)
Editor Publisher Kistner 1839 Kovar International Music Company 1956 Voxman Rubank 1941 Laube Fischer Pagels Schmidt
Giovania-Babtiste Gambaro 18 Studies for Bassoon
Editor Publisher Dherin Lemoine 1935 Kovar International Music Company 1951
Reinhold Gliere Humoresque, Op. 35 No. 8
Editor Publisher Kovar International Music Company 1948
Reinhold Gliere Impromptu, Op. 35 No. 9
Editor Publisher Kovar International Music Company 1948
74
Eugene Jancourt 26 Melodic Studies, Op. 15
Editor Publisher Jancourt Evette 1847 Kovar International Music Company 1956/71 Waterhouse Universal Edition 1988
C. Kopprasch 60 Studies, vol. I and II
Editor Publisher Mueller Merseburger Seyffarth Hofmeister 1950 2 vol. Fischer 1950 Kovar 2 vol. International Music Company 1956
Ludwig Milde 50 Concert Studies, vol. I and II
Editor Publisher Merseburger 1935 Hofmeister Hofmeister 1972 Hofmeister 2 vol. Cundy-Bettoney 2 vol. Soviet State 1956/59 Kovar 2 vol. International Music Company 1948
Ludwig Milde 25 Studies In Scales and Chords
Editor Publisher Hofmeister Hofmeister Hofmeister Cundy-Bettoney Kovar International Music Company 1950
75 J. Satzenhofer 24 Studies
Editor Publisher Gorecki PWM 1954 Kovar International Music Company 1950
J. Satzenhofer 24 Duets
Editor Publisher Kovar International Music Company 1950
Telemann Sonata in F Minor Hamburg 1728
Editor Publisher From: “Der Getreue Music – Meister” Reprint: Musicus Allard Billaudot 1981 Michel Amadeus 1977 Miller Ojeda 1985 Tyree Musica Rara 1975 Kovar International Music Company 1949
von Weber, Carl Maria Andante und Rondo Ongarese, Op. 35 (1813)
Editor Publisher Schlesinger 1816 Hofmeister Lienau Novello Schonzeler Kunzelmann 1989 Lienau Darvas EMB 1967 Schott Dherin Billaudot 1977 Flament Leduc Gorecki PWM 1955 Kovar International Music Company 1956
76
Weissenborn, Julius Studies for Beginners
Editor Publisher Peters 1887/1930/1950 Kalmus Fischer 1940 Kovar International Music Company 1952
Weissenborn, Julius Studies for Advanced Players
Editor Publisher Peters 1887/1930/1950 Ambrosio Fischer 1941 Kovar International Music Company Waterhouse Universal Edition 1986
Julius Weissenborn Romance in Eb Major
Editor Publisher
Kovar International Music Company 1957
77
APPENDIX B
TIMELINE OF KOVAR’S EDITION
78 Reinhold Gliere Humoresque, Op. 35 No. 8 1948
Reinhold Gliere Impromptu, Op. 35 No. 9 1948
Ludwig Milde 50 Concert Studies, vol. I and II 1948
Telemann Sonata in F Minor 1949
Ludwig Milde 25 Studies in Scales and Chords, Op. 24 1950
J. Satzenhofer 24 Studies 1950
J. Satzenhofer 24 Duets 1950
Giovania-Baptiste Gambaro 18 Studies for Bassoon 1951
Simon Kovar 24 Daily Studies 1951
Julius Weissenborn Studies for Beginners 1952
Julius Weissenborn Studies for Advanced Players unknown
Ferdinand David Concertino in Bb Major, Op. 12 1956
Eugene Jancourt 26 Melodic Studies, Op. 15 1956
C. Kopprasch 60 Studies, vol. I and II 1956 von Weber, Carl Maria Andante und Rondo Ongarese, Op. 35 1956
Julius Weissenborn Romance in Eb Major 1957
79
APPENDIX C
COMPARISON STUDY OF THE FRED BETTONEY EDITION AND THE SIMON
KOVAR EDITION OF THE 25 STUDIES IN SCALES AND CHORDS BY LUDWIG
MILDE
80 Fred Bettoney Simon Kovar
No. 1 no dynamics except for m. 1, 3, 5, 6 added descrescendo in m. 7,
piano and crescendo to m. 8,
forte and decrescendo to m.
9, piano and crescendo to m.
10, piano and crescendo to m.
13, piano to m. 19, forte and
piano to m. 23, crescendo in
m. 24, piano and crescendo in
m. 28
No. 2 dynamics in first 2 measures added a piano and crescendo
in m. 23 where the musical
pattern changes
No. 3 crescendo in m. 1, 2, 3, and 30 added piano and crescendo in
m. 9, forte and crescendo in
43, mezzo forte and
decrescendo in m. 45, and
piano and crescendo in m. 47
81 No. 4 no dynamics added piano and crescendo in
m. 1, forte and decrescendo
in m. 3, piano in m. 4, forte
and decrescendo in m. 24,
decrescendo in m. 29, piano
and crescendo in m. 40, piano
and crescendo in m. 44
No. 5 no dynamics no dynamics
No. 6 no dynamics added a crescendo and
decrescendo in m. 1, piano in
m. 5, forte and decrescendo
in m. 6, forte and crescendo
in m. 13
No. 7 no dynamics added a piano and crescendo
in m.3, forte and decrescendo
in m. 32
No. 8 no dynamics added a forte and
decrescendo in m. 1, piano,
crescendo, and decresendo in
m. 2
82 No. 9 no dynamics no dynamics
No. 10 no dynamics added a mezzo forte and
crescendo in m. 1,
decrescendo in m. 2
No. 11 no dynamics added a forte and
decrescendo in m. 1 and a
decrescendo in m. 2
No. 12 no dynamics no dynamics
No. 13 no dynamics added a piano and crescendo
in m. 27
No. 14 no dynamics added a mezzo forte and
crescendo in m. 1 and
decrescendo in m. 2
No. 15 no dynamics no dynamics
No. 16 no dynamics no dynamics
No. 17 no dynamics no dynamics
No. 18 no dynamics added crescendo and
decrescendo in m. 1,
crescendo in m. 3,
decrescendo in m. 4
No. 19 no dynamics no dynamics
No. 20 no dynamics no dynamics
No. 21 no dynamics no dynamics
83 No. 22 no dynamics no dynamics
No. 23 no dynamics no dynamics
No. 24 no dynamics no dynamics
No. 25 no dynamics added piano in m. 1, forte and
decrescendo in m. 3, piano
and crescendo in m. 21, forte
in m. 50, decrescendo in m.
51, forte and decrescendo in
m. 68, decrescendo in m. 69,
piano in m. 70, crescendo in
m. 71
84
APPENDIX D
REINHOLD GLIERE’S IMPROMPTU, OPUS 35, NO. 9
85 Original Edition International Music Company
M. 2 forte mezzo forte
M. 3/4 no dynamic change crescendo/decrescendo
M. 5 no dynamic change piano/crescendo
M.10 no tempo change ritardando
M. 13 no dynamic change crescendo
M. 14 no dynamic change decrescendo
M. 15 no dynamic change crescendo
M. 19 forte forte and decrescendo
M. 20 no dynamic change piano and crescendo
M. 22 pianissimo piano
M. 22 no tempo change piu mosso
M. 23 no dynamic change crescendo/decrescendo
M. 24 piano mezzo forte
M. 25 no dynamic change crescendo/decrescendo
M. 29 no dynamic change crescendo
M. 30 no dynamic change decrescendo
M. 32 no dynamic change crescendo/decrescendo
M. 41 no tempo change ritardando
M. 43 no tempo change a tempo
M. 43 forte mezzo forte/crescendo
M. 45 no dynamic change decrescendo
86
M. 46 no dynamic change piano/crescendo
M. 46 no tempo change accelerando
M. 51 no tempo change ritardando
M. 60 forte forte/decrescendo
M. 61 no dynamic change piano/crescendo
87
APPENDIX E
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN HARRINGTON E. CRISSEY, JR. AND LUDMILA
MILCHAKOVA OF THE ST. PETERSBURG CONSERVATORY
88 The researcher contacted Harrington E. Crissey , Jr. (Kit) who helped contact the St.
Petersburg Conservatory. The following is the information received from Ludmila
Milchakova of the St. Petersburg Conservatory.
December 15, 2006
Thanks a lot for the greetings with coming winter holidays – the same you and your family. Hope to see you in St. Petersburg next year.
I have looked through the librarian students – graduates catalogue and found only
a girl with such family name. She was a graduate of the 1910 – 1911 and her name is
Elena Moiseenva Kovarskaya. He probably didn’t finish his education or there is no
folder with his documents. I’ll look in the annual reports but it will take time.
All the best,
Ludmila
December 22, 2006
Unfortunately there is no information about Semyon Kovarsky in the reports. Do you or
your friend know when he could have studied with Auer, in which years? I looked through the reports of the 1904-05, 1910 – 11, 1911 – 12, 1905 – 06
Ludmila
89
January 3, 2007
For Ludmila Milchakova,
Hi, Luda! How are you? Happy New Year! Did a man named Ernest Kotte teach bassoon at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory sometime during the First World War
(1914-1918)? If you can research this, I’ll be much obliged. It concerns Amy Bassett’s
Ph.D dissertation on Simon Kovar under Christopher Weait’s supervision.
January 12, 2007
Dear Kit,
At last I can say “Yes”!
Ernest Kotte was professor of the first level from 1901 till 1918. He was also a soloist of the Mariinsky theatre orchestra and the orchestra of Symphony concerts. His folder is in the Spb historical archive with the number F 7441, folder 36, page 76. (St.
Petersburg)
January 15, 2007
Dear Kit,
Ernest Kotte is mentioned in the catalogue as a bassoon professor. First level means, that in 1917 he was given this highest level for his service as a teacher and musician. He worked in the conservatory till 1927 and was awarded the name of the
Honored Artist of the Soviet Union-the highest award for an artist at that time.
Ludmila
90
January 18, 2007
Dear Kit,
The first information about the date was taken from the catalogue and the list of
Ernest Kotte’s private information was supplied by the conservatory teachers in that year
– 1918. But later I went to our archive where they gave me some extra information which I passed on to you. The chief archivist is on holidays now and they asked me to wait with information about his nationality.
Ludmila
January 22, 2007
Dear Kit,
Ernest Kotte received Russian citizenship in 1893 and became Ernest
Feodorovich Kotte. But nobody knows whether he changed his religious views or not.
As he was born in Germany he had to be a German. But we do not have his folder here in the conservatory archive so we can’t see what is written in his documents about his nationality.
All the best,
Ludmilla
91
APPENDIX F
CORRESPONDENCE WITH RICHARD WANDEL, NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
ASSOCIATE ARCHIVIST
92
Dear Ms. Bassett,
Simon Kovar was a member of the orchestra from 1923-1949. He was originally
hired when Mengelberg was music director and continued through the terms of
Toscanini, Barbirolli, Rodzinski, Walter, and Stokowski.
We do not have any other information on Kovar.
Richard Wandel
Associate Archivist
New York Philharmonic Archives
10 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY 10023
212-875-5932
93
APPENDIX G
QUESTIONS FOR THE STUDY OF SIMON KOVAR
94 How long and when did you study with Simon Kovar?
What books or materials did you use? Where were they obtained?
How long did the lesson last? How frequent were the lessons?
Did the material focus on your strengths or weaknesses? What was his rationale?
What was his teaching style? Flexible, strict?
What aspects of his teaching do you continue to use?
What was the most valuable information that you obtained from him?
95
APPENDIX H
INTERVIEWS
96 Interview with Marvin Roth
Marvin Roth was a New York “bassoon doubler” who performed in the pit
orchestras of many Broadway shows. He began his studies with Robert Reinert at
University of Miami, after his junior year he left school to enlist in an Airforce band. He
moved to New York City when he was discharged and had experience on many of the
woodwind instruments, which qualified him to perform in the musicals.
AB: How long did you study with Simon Kovar?
MR: I studied with Simon Kovar from 1950, until Kovar’s move to California in 1957.
I am not sure how I will be at answering your questions because to me Kovar just taught,
there was no method or approach that he taught from, and would say let me hear the sound. He never played in a lesson.
AB: What books or materials did you use? Where were they obtained from?
MR: No matter what level you were the lesson always began with the 24 Daily Studies
and the goal was to receive two slash marks at the end of the exercise, which meant is
was improved. Kovar would jump around this book based on where your playing ability
was. Deep in his heart he wanted all of the woodwinds to study the 24 Daily Studies, it
was as though he felt strongly that those exercises could really develop a player. I started
with the Weissenborn method, and then went on to the three Milde books, published by
International, and there were the orchestral studies from the Stadio book. I also played
the Concerto – Weber and Mozart with Kovar sitting there.
AB: How long did the lesson last? How frequent were the lessons?
97 MR: My first encounter with Simon Kovar was on a New York City subway rumbling
toward the northern tip of Manhattan where I live. I had just played an evening performance of the Broadway show, "Guys and Dolls" - the original show in 1950. They call what I do a "bassoon doubler", which means I could be called upon to also play saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, flute and piccolo.
Since bassoon was my first instrument and therefore my first love, I carried it
back and forth with me daily from the theatre to home. It was the one instrument I felt a need and desire to practice every day and of course making a decent reed was an ongoing affair - like brushing your teeth.
While sitting on that subway train, bassoon case between my knees, a diminutive, slightly
built man approached and sat down next to me. He spoke to me in English flavored with
what sounded like a Russian accent. He had to be a bassoon player because his first
question to me was, "where do you play bassoon" (only another bassoon player would know what was in that case between my knees). He introduced himself, and when he saw
no reaction from me, he added that he had retired from the New York Philharmonic and
has been devoting his life solely to teaching the bassoon.
In those 20 minutes on the train together, he was able to extract from me the story
of my life right up to those "A" train rumbling moments; that I was fairly new in town
after growing up and schooling in Florida and serving four years in an Air Force Band
before hitting the 'Big Apple' in 1946, joining the Boyd Raeburn jazz/dance band in 1947
and getting my first Broadway show in 1948.
98 Then, a funny thing happened. The train pulled into its last stop, 207th St. - and
we both got off together - he lived three blocks from me - and in those last conversational
moments, I got two more surprises: his daughter Elinore, was the bassoonist in the
Broadway show South Pacific right next to where I was doing Guys and Dolls - AND -
Elinore lived right next to me in an adjoining building.
Before we parted he said he would like to hear me play and why don't I take my bassoon
some day, walk 3 blocks and ring his bell.
Well, I probably rang his bell 200 more times over the next three or four years, except for the times he would, unexpectedly, ring my bell and say, "Make me a glass of tea and take out your bassoon".
AB: Did the material focus on your strengths or weaknesses? What was his rationale?
MR: Kovar focused only on what was not right in my playing, he was always after the sound.
AB: What was his teaching style? Flexible, strict?
MR: If the assignment wasn’t right, then it was reassigned. Overall, his teaching was
strict, he wanted to get across the SOUND that was needed. I learned a lot from Reinert
(my other teacher) but Kovar dug a little deeper, he stressed the darkness of sound and
the quality of sound. He always spoke of the dark German sound he wanted. To get a
picture of him in your mind he was a man in a suit with stains on his tie and had a thick
Russian accent. I don’t remember what I sounded like in 1939 but he always spoke of
sound, never vibrato but instead just sound. I asked him about vibrato one day and he
pulled out Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 and told me not to worry about anything but the
sound. Then he put his finger on my knee and vibrated it and said it dots the note and
99 that was the end of it. To this day I do not know how to play with vibrato, I learned on
flute but never on bassoon, yet my colleagues tell me they hear it. He also never spoke to me about double tonguing, he just expected to keep the sound going. He stressed the basics of teaching any instrument – tone, a good quality of sound, and intonation. He would never play but sing it in a thick Russian voice and then say, “das it.” Kovar’s basic idea of playing was dark, forget about vibrato, and play it like you mean it. He was not all that helpful with reeds, he would say, “go see so and so, he makes nothing but bassoon reeds and watch him to learn how to do it.” He always expected me to have a decent reed, and would once in awhile swipe one from me, but, I don’t know if he made them or not.
AB: What aspects of his teaching do you continue to use?
MR: I wouldn’t dream of playing bassoon with any other sound.
AB: What was the most valuable information that you obtained from him?
MR: To keep the sound, the dark German sound.
AB: Is there anything else that you would like to add.
MR: He helped me find my bassoon. He called me one day, and said I have 2 bassoons
coming from Heckel, they are going to cost you an extra $50 because they have come on
a plane but I want you to choose one of them and I bought the 9496. I wrote some
bassoon duets after Kovar had already past away, and maybe it’s selfish but, I would
have given anything for him to hear my duets. I don’t know if he would have liked them
or not, but if he could have heard them. I have been fortunate in music and I owe my
career and life to both Simon Kovar and Bob Reinert.
100
Interview with Mark Popkin
Mark Popkin served as principal bassoonist with the New Jersey Symphony, the
New York City Opera, and Music Aeterna. In addition to this he has published several
books about reed making and has worked to design efficient reed equipment.
AB: How long did you study with Simon Kovar
MP: Kovar was good to me. I studied with him for seven years because he helped me
receive a full scholarship to the Henry Street Settlement School, which had a wonderful
small orchestra. At the school I was expecting the winds to be stronger but it was
actually the strings. Igor Golningum came to this country and this school was the first
job he was offered, and for that reason I really had to buckle down. I studied with Kovar
in high school and then into college, since I was a Physics major.
AB: How long did the lessons last? What was the structure of the lessons?
MP: Around 1946 the lessons were a type of group lesson, where there was a large room
with chairs in a circle and one chair in the middle. The studio was on 57th street and 7th street and then it moved a year or two later. This kind of lesson could be a trying experience for some students. A year or two later he switched to a studio on Broadway and 46th or 48th street where there was a private lesson room, this was probably a more
gentle experience for most of the students. Kovar was always very pleasant and nice to
me but he probably did become irrational with some. There was one occasion in which I
had a lesson in his home and I witnessed Kovar’s wife’s treatment of him.
101 AB: What were his expectations of you in the lesson? What were the weekly
assignments?
MP: I had to memorize the daily exercises in order to focus on intonation. These were
eventually the 24 Daily Studies, and they most likely came from violin etudes. I played
from the standard etudes that Kovar had already edited and worked on orchestral excerpts. I remember him coaching me on Rimsky Korsakov’s Scheherazade, he had definite ideas about the solo since he knew Mr. Rimsky Korsakov from the St. Petersburg
Conservatory.
AB: Did the material focus on your strengths or weaknesses? What was his rationale?
MP: The weekly assignments focused on the weaknesses. These were the focus of the
lesson, because he did not know anything about reeds, and occasionally would take a
students reed to play in the Philharmonic. I went to Harold Goltzer for reed help because
I got frustrated with them. I went to him without asking Kovar because I did not want
him to get upset. During the war it was hard to get a German bassoon reed.
Kovar focused mainly on phrasing during the lesson. Since he edited the Milde Concert
Studies I was always expected to follow the markings he put in. He used the 24 Daily
Studies to concentrate on technique because they were memorized, and spent time on the
interpretation of excerpts. The excerpts that were not in the Stadio I had to write out by
hand. He never taught double tonguing, and vibrato was never discussed. Kovar never
played in a lesson either; he claimed that anyone who came to the US when he did with a
bassoon could get a job in a decent orchestra.
102 I will say again that he was kind to me because he understood that I had tough exams, and was flexible when it came to exam weeks. Most likely he did not do that with his
Juilliard students, but he always understood that my school was rigorous.
AB: What aspects of his teaching do you continue to use?
MP: I still use the Weissenborn and Milde, and remember his very specific comments about different pieces. I also require both Mozart Concertos and I had a very good foundation in the standard works.
AB: What was the most valuable information that you obtained from him?
MP: I was always impressed that he knew Rimsky-Korsakov and the technical demands of his memorized studies really helped me.
Interview with Alan Goodman
Alan Goodman received his bachelors degree from State University of New York,
Potsdam, and his masters degree from University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He served as a bassoonist with the United States Army at West Point, principal bassoon of the
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and principal bassoon of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic.
AB: How long did you study with Simon Kovar?
AG: I studied with Simon Kovar for one year in New York and one summer in Santa
Barbara at the Music Academy of the West
AB: What was the structure of the lessons?
103 AG: Most lessons were in his apartment. Every Saturday my Dad drove me into the city from Long Island. Most of the lessons were private, although in a couple of them there were other kids listening to it. Lessons varied from one to two hours and after the lesson my Dad always took Kovar down for coffee at a local delicatessen and listened to him tell stories of his childhood. It was also great because there Kovar was able to smoke the cigarettes that his wife would not let him smoke in the apartment. In the summer at camp lessons were more than once week, because he would grab you when he saw you walking around the camp. He called everyone “keed”, and would call you over so that you could get the bassoon out to play for him.
AB: What books or materials did you use?
AG: I always played from music that had his name on it. At my first lesson I had six books, three by him and three by other people, he took the three by other people and threw them across the room and said “no good.” I also used the 24 Daily Studies at the beginning of every lesson. Kovar had me use them in a way that no one else would know, unless he was seen in action. First of all, he would hop all over the place, and you would start with the long tones. To play the long tones he would have you make a very soft attack, crescendo it slowly, and then decrescendo slowly. Everyday he would want you to use a different note. After this he would have you play some of the other passages. I was instructed to take a four sixteenth note passage and play each note as an sixteenth note, release the breath and lift the fingers on the sixteenth rest and then attack the next beat. He would tap your hands on the eighth rest to be sure they were relaxed and loose. One measure would end up as an entire etude because the exercises were not to be taken literally. He always assigned two measures at a time and would put a “K” at
104 the end of them. Then I had to initial them every time I practiced. Everything was slow and I played throughout the whole range, having to transpose octaves. Sometimes in a lesson he would start on one that was not assigned, so I would not even get to the two measures that I had prepared.
AB: What was his teaching style? Flexible, strict?
AG: He was demanding but also kind and complimentary. I was always prepared and he made me feel like the greatest bassoon player in the world even though I was just a kid.
Once, I saw him throw an older student out of a lesson and yell at him, so from then on I knew that I had to practice because I was afraid. Kovar never lost his temper with me, but I was just a beginner.
AB: What aspects of his teaching do you continue to use?
AG: The technique that I liked the most was that you would always practice breathing and relaxing in the etudes. He did not believe in playing that was built on tension. He would slow you down so that you could play everything and still be relaxed. He believed in introducing excerpts which were beyond your ability, having you play them slowly. I would also work on etudes that were too hard, and play them very slowly; tempo did not matter to him. He felt that the earlier a student begin playing difficult material the better he would be. His teaching was so effective because he taught his students the basics that come back to haunt you when you are sitting in the orchestra.
AB: What was the most valuable information that you obtained from him?
AG: I started the right way which helped me greatly.
AB: Is there any other information that you would like to add?
105 AG: I talked a lot with Benjamin (Benny) Kohon who was principal bassoon in the New
York Philharmonic when Kovar was hired and he told some hysterical stories about the
orchestra’s situation. Benny Kohon told stories about how they were desperate for a
bassoonist because theirs suddenly could no longer play, and they could not find anyone.
They eventually found Kovar’s name and set up an audition for him with Kohon and the
music director. Kovar showed up to the audition with a bassoon in a sack. The bassoon
was so awful that Kohon could not determine if Kovar could play or not. What he did heard was Kovar’s ability to play a musical line. So, he was hired and Kohon worked with him weekly on the repertoire they were playing.
Everyone I have ever spoken with about studying with Kovar has fond memories of him.
Interview with John Shamlian
John Shamlian is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Royal College
of Music, London. He served as a bassoonist with the London Symphony Orchestra, the
B.B.C. Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
AB: How long did you study with Simon Kovar?
JS: Three years.
AB: What books or materials did you use? Where were they obtained from?
JS: Two Mildes, orchestral studies, and the exercises
106 AB: What were his expectations of you in the lesson? What were the weekly
assignments?
JS: I was the inexperienced one of the class, Mr. Kovar wanted weekly improvement
AB: How long did the lesson last? How frequent were the lessons?
JS: Lessons were one hour weekly unless the New York Philharmonic was on tour.
AB: Did the material focus on your strengths and weaknesses? What was his rationale for choosing materials?
JS: Everything focused on weaknesses, which was a great challenge for me.
AB: What was his teaching style? Flexible, strict, etc?
JS: He expected results at each lesson. I would say he was strict.
AB: What aspects of his teaching do you continue to use?
JS: The ability to study a score to see what the bassoon was suppose to be doing
AB: What was the most valuable information that you obtained from him?
JS: To be honest with yourself. If you could not do something he wanted to know why.
In a letter sent prior to the interview John Shamlian wrote:
“Dear Amy Bassett: As for Mr. Kovar, it seems he came from the same town in Russia as Rachmanninoff. He used to hold great conversations during my lessons. I don’t think it mattered how I was playing. When in Russia, Kovar was told that there were too many fiddle players in America, and not enough bassoons so he started learning the bassoon. I forget who was instrumental in getting him into the NY Philharmonic, but he got the job as second bassoon and there he stayed for years. His style of teaching was such that it could have been used on any instrument. He spoke of tone quality, rhythm and evenness, and, naturally, intonation. I had a great deal of respect for him. I remember when I was discharged from the navy. I stopped off to see him and told him that I needed a job. He said go right away to Steinway Hall where Indianapolis was holding audition for second bassoon and to my surprise I got the job. I’m sure he put in a good word for me.”
107
Interview with Richard Plaster
Richard Plaster was contrabassoonist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for
many years. He also taught bassoon at Boston University and the New England
Conservatory.
How long did you study with Simon Kovar?
What books or materials did you use? Where were they obtained from?
What were his expectations of you in the lesson? What were the weekly assignments?
How long did the lesson last? How frequent were the lessons?
Did the material focus on your strengths and weaknesses? What was his rationale for
choosing materials?
What was his teaching style? Flexible, strict, etc?
What aspects of his teaching do you continue to use?
What was the most valuable information that you obtained from him?
The response received was:
The materials are listed below, but this also included whatever the students
brought in. He encouraged us to prepare, but since our own money was involved we did our best, especially since we would need his recommendation and/or grade. There were recommendations more than assignments, and only those whose lessons were a course in one of the six or so colleges took weekly lessons. When I would show up he would say
108 something like “your fall lesson?”, and afterwards “Call when you’re ready.” (At that
time, during WWII, I was in the maritime service, training at Sheepshead Bay in
Brooklyn, at least an hour and a half away. Later I was stationed on Staten Island, on
salvage ships.) The lessons for me were one hour. A school could have had a 30 or 40
minute rate for its students. The same standard materials were used by all in the long run,
but the timing varied, and individuals brought in new/different materials according to
what was being composed, published, and performed. If one had weaknesses, more time
was spent on related material. The teaching style was like the conductor or section leader
style – what a coincidence – working more on what needed it. Strictness was not
applicable because his students were doing the best they could. His job was to tell or
show them how to do better.
He remains one of perhaps six most important influences in my playing and
career. All of his teaching was important and still applies. The most important saying
was “Know the repertoire, keed”.
There were exercises/calistenics, etudes, orchestral repertoire, minimal opera repertoire, and the standard solo repertoire which all bassoonists were expected to study.
There were usually other students listening to one’s lesson, because we came from distances up to 100 miles sometimes hitch-hiking, making a need to back-up/over-book.
He was old enough to have memory trouble, and he was usually too busy to write appointments –what language would they be in? [Latvian? Polish? Yiddish? German?
Russian? English?] The students’ time wasn’t wasted, since everybody was working on the same things.
109 Assignments were general, usually depending on the needs, activities, and
motivation of the individual students. Some came weekly if they were local, but others
like me took hours to get there and hadn’t complete control of their schedules (my
salvage ship could be called out to a job at any time.)
You asked about teaching materials – Weissenborn, Milde, Jancourt, Bitsch, and
Stadio excerpts were used, but not exclusively , and not in any prescribed order. Mozart,
Galliard, Telemann, and Hidemith were available and popular at the time. It was wartime
and European publications were scarce. Paper shortage in the U. S. as well as other
shortages made finding any particular item iffy. That had been the story of Kovar’s life, though. He would always start with bits of the warm-up type exercise, later put into the
24 Daily Exercises book in the late 1940s as a sort of legacy. I helped him put them on paper and a fellow member of New York’s First Moravian Church who was the froeman of the bindery department of a nearby midtown publishing company (Scribner?) where the book could be and was published. Joseph Marx, (Metropolitan Opera oboist and publisher [Galliard Sonatas, for instance]) helped Kovar and the students get their music.
You may wonder why I haven’t said anything about reeds. That is because Kovar
didn’t make reeds. He was able to choose appropriate reeds and do the most rudimentary
adjustments, though. The older student’s would half-seriously warn the new ones to keep
an eye on their reeds. A student like me with tight finances would be offered a deal for
making reeds for him to sell to other students.
Kovar’s approach to playing was pragmatic and varied, but the goal seemed to be
accuracy of rhythm and intonation, appropriate interpretation, and a responsible attitude
toward the orchestra and colleagues. His success spoke for itself. This is confirmed by
110 the frequent presence among the bassoon students of a clarinet or saxophone “jobber” some of them among the top “studio” players, and not just “doublers”. Principal
bassoonists at NBC, CBS, ABC, and Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh, Detroit,
Washington, and other were included. Pedagogy as such was not what one noticed about
him. The only thing I remember him say as a pedagogue was “Know the repertoire,
keed”, and that could refer not to music but to a diplomatic situation involving a girl.
As to the aspects of teaching which I use. I use the exercises from the 24 Daily
Exercises. He wasn’t teaching teachers to teach, he was teaching bassoonists to play, and
behave. He taught by example. He would get a free-lance job in New York City, take a student, and have the student play first.
Interview with Bernard Garfield
Bernard Garfield has degrees from New York University, Royal College of
Music, London, and Columbia University. He was principal bassoonist of the
Philadelphia Orchestra and organized and directed the New York Wind Quintet.
AB: How long did you study with Simon Kovar?
BG: I studied with Simon Kovar for three years, 1940, 1941, and 1942
AB: What books or materials did you use?
Where were they obtained from?
BG: We used Weissenborn, Volume I and II
111 Milde Scale and Arpeggio Studies
Milde Concert Studies, Volume I and II
Stadio Orchestral Excerpt book
I also played a variety of the important bassoon solo pieces, such as Mozart K. 191
Concerto, Weber Concerto, Hungarian Andante and Rondo, plus several contemporary pieces. Kovar hand notated all the phrasing and dynamics into my music which was readily obtained from music stores in New York City. There was Carl Fischer, Schirmer, and other stores, which carried different pieces from different publishers, some foreign and some domestic. The finger exercises were all verbally taught by him at my lessons.
AB: What were his expectations of you in the lesson? What were the weekly
assignments?
BG: I was expected to bring the assignments well prepared and ready for his interpretive
instruction.
AB: How long did the lesson last? How frequent were the lessons?
BG: Lessons were weekly during the school year, and lasted from 30 – 45 minutes
AB: Did the material focus on your strengths and weaknesses? What was his rationale for choosing materials?
BG: Yes, he would determine what your deficiencies were, and would repair those
weaknesses, plus teach an expressive concept that was always present in his instruction.
AB: What was his teaching style?
Flexible, strict, etc?
112 BG: He was very strict, and would allow no deviation from his concept of correct playing. He sat next to you and would pound the rhythm he was correcting on your right knee.
AB: What aspects of his teaching do you continue to use?
BG: I still teach most of those musical elements that he stressed as basic to my own teaching style. He stressed an attractive sound, an even flow from note to note, accurate rhythm, expression to suit the phrase, a style of playing that must have pleased Toscanini, for whom he played many years. Kovar understood clearly what the demands of a bassoonist in an orchestra were.
AB: What was the most valuable information that you obtained from him?
BG: The most valuable information that Kovar imparted to me was:
1. How to develop an attractive tone that was even throughout the wide range of the
bassoon, through long tone development exercises.
2. How to be accurate in your rhythm.
3. How to solve technical fingering problems, through his special exercises.
4. How to play in an expressive style, the dominant part of his instruction.
113
APPENDIX I
A LIST OF PREMIERED WORKS DURING SIMON KOVAR’S LAST SEVEN
SEASONS IN THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
114 1942-43 Season
Bach Prelude and Fugue in C Minor (Transcribed for Orchestra by Llywelyn Gomer
from Six Suites for Solo Cello by Bach)
Bate Concertante for Piano and String Orchestra
Bennett, Robert Russell “Etudes”
Cailliet Fantasia and Fugue on “O Susanna”
Carpenter Symphony No. 2
Corelli-Barbirolli Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra in D Major, freely transcribed
by John Barbirolli from the Violin Sonatas of Arcangelo Corelli
Gershwin Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture Arranged for Orchestra by Robert
Russell Bennett
Ireland, John Epic March
Iturbi Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra
Krenek Variations on a North Carolina Folk Song, “I Wonder As I Wander”
Liszt-Byrns Grand Galop Chromatique
McDonald Symphonic Poem, Bataan
Schuman, William Prayer 1943
Tansman Polish Rhapsody
Taylor-Deems “Marco Takes a Walk”: Variations for Orchestra, Op. 25
115 1943-44
Bartok Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Berezowsky Soldier on the Town
Carpenter The Anxious Bugler
Creston Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra
Dukelsky Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in G Minor
Harris March in Time of War
Herrmann For the Falle
Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of C. M. von Weber
Martinu Memorial to Lidice
Symphony No. 2
Milhaud Cortége Funebre
Rathaus Polonaise Symphonique, Opus 52
Schuman, William William Billings Overture
Shostakovich Symphony No. 8, Opus 65
Tansman Symphony in D Minor
1944-45
Creston Symphony No. 2
Moore In Memoriam
Piston Fugue on a Victory Tune
Schonberg Ode to Napoleon, Opus 41-B
Strauss, R. Suite from Der Rosenkavalier
116 1945-46
Fitelberg Nocturne for Orchestra
Ibert Festival Overture
Mennin, Peter Folk Overture
Prokofieff Summer Day Children’s Suite for Little Symphony, Op. 65
Rogers In Memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Schoenberg Theme and Variations for Orchestra in g minor
1946-47
Barraud Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Dello Joio Ricercari for Piano and Orchestra
Honegger Symphony No. 3 for Large Orchestra, Liturgique
Korngold Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major
Lully Noce Villageoise
Mennin Symphony No. 3
Messiaen Hymne pour grand Orchestre
Milhaud Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
Shostakovich Symphony No. 9, Op. 70
Still Festive Overture
117 1947 – 48
Honegger Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher
Krenek Symphony No. 4
Mahler Symphony in A minor, No. 6
Siegmeister Symphony
1948 – 49
Baron Ode to Democracy
Cowell American Piper
Dello Joio Variations, Chaconne and Finale
Fitch Terra Nova
Gibbons-Kay Suite for Orchestra
Gould Philharmonic Waltzes
Hindemith Philharmonic Concerto
Menotti Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Muradeli Georgian Symphonic Dance
Panufnik Tragic Overture
Perpessa Prelude and Fugue for Orchestra
Porrino Sinfonia per una Fiaba
Schnabel Rhapsody for Orchestra
118